President Donald Trump stated he personally asked Vladimir Putin to refrain from attacking Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week while Ukraine faces frost of more than -25 degrees Celsius.
Russian media quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that Russia would allegedly "refrain" from strikes on Ukraine until February 1, reportedly in response to President Trump's request and "to create favourable conditions for negotiations."
However, Russia did not officially confirm any such agreement.
All this is happening while Ukrainian cities are recovering after recent Russian attacks that seriously damaged energy infrastructure.
Last week, when negotiations between Ukraine, the United States and Russia were ongoing in the United Arab Emirates regarding possible ways to end the war, Kyiv experienced one of its massive shellings.
As of January 30, restoration is ongoing; some apartment buildings still remain without electricity, heat, or water. In some cases, without any of them.
In Lviv, local authorities have officially activated emergency preparedness measures ahead of a sharp drop in temperatures, warning of a heightened risk of Russian strikes on critical infrastructure.
President Zelenskyy openly acknowledged the pattern that efforts to restore infrastructure quite often invite renewed Russia's attacks,
as it tends to strike immediately after repairs are finished and temperatures drop, when civilians are most affected.
Throughout 2025, every visible diplomatic effort to end the war was repeatedly followed by intensified Russian strikes on civilian areas and critical infrastructure. To learn more about the 2025 attacks, see our analysis Not Mistakes - Strategy: Russia's Deadliest Attacks On Civilians in 2025
In 2025, negotiations did not slow the violence, they accompanied it. For Russia, all these talks about a possible "peace deal" have served as a backdrop and an informational cover under which pressure, coercion and terror continued.
For this reason, Ukrainian cities prepare for strikes not despite diplomacy, but because of how Russian diplomacy has functioned in the past. Municipal services remain on standby and residents are advised to stock up on water, food and medicine, charge power banks and identify nearby shelters if needed.
This is not fake alarmism or a political gesture, it is routine planning shaped by experience. And in this case, timing matters.
Peace, or at least de-escalation, cannot be measured by the number of meetings held or statements issued, but by whether missiles stop falling.
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This publication was compiled with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. It's content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Renaissance Foundation.
